Some Latinos go own way on illegal immigration

June 17, 2006|By Ana Beatriz Cholo, Tribune staff reporter.

As National Guard troops patrol the U.S.-Mexico border to try to stop people from entering this country illegally, a minority of Latinos want to make a point: Don't assume Hispanics share the same opinion on illegal immigration.

These Latinos say undocumented immigrants should not be eligible for government services and are hurting the economy by driving down wages.

Tensions have simmered over the years between those who came here legally and those who didn't, and between U.S.-born Latinos who date back generations and the undocumented newcomers.

A survey last year by the Pew Hispanic Center underscores the divergence of opinions among Latinos.

While proud of their heritage, some Latinos say they are just as proud of the American flag and denounce the idea of singing "The Star-Spangled Banner" in Spanish, as was done during the height of this spring's protests in support of amnesty for undocumented immigrants.

When hundreds of thousands were televised marching in the streets, Rene Hernandez Jr. of north suburban Round Lake realized he did not want those Latinos to speak for him and wrote about it in his blog, titled Mexican Republican.

Hernandez, a salesman who was born in Mexico and came to the U.S. legally as a child, said he feels immense pride in his Mexican roots but is against giving amnesty to illegal immigrants.

"There is a process to getting a better life," said Hernandez, who became an American citizen in 2002. "I wish people respected that."

The Pew survey found at least a third of Latinos born in the United States believe undocumented immigrants drive down wages. The strongest sentiments against illegal immigration were among middle-class, middle-aged, U.S.-born Latinos.

Roberto Suro, director of the Pew Hispanic Center and author of the study, said some Americans assume all Hispanics think alike on immigration issues.

"This is a population that has a large diversity of experiences. The temptation is to sort of lump everyone together," he said.

Some Chicago-area Latinos who oppose amnesty said they weren't sure if their forefathers came here legally. But they said that has nothing to do with their views on immigration.

Lidia Rodriguez Downs, the executive director of the Family Taxpayers Network, speaks fluent Spanish and listens to Spanish-language CDs in her car. But she thinks it would be wrong to give undocumented immigrants amnesty.

"There are people who in good faith have been going through the process," said Downs, 56, of East Dundee. "To put these people in front of the line would be very unfair."

The issue has created a rift in her family. One sister, Ofelia Rodriguez, of Chicago, whole-heartedly agrees with Downs.

But sister Martha Ibarra, also of Chicago, disagrees vehemently, accusing her sisters of forgetting their culture and their deceased parents.

Downs resents being labeled anti-Hispanic or elitist.

"I just want to preserve our wonderful country," she says.

There is a long history of established Mexican-Americans (as well as immigrants from other backgrounds) espousing anti-immigration policies, says Rodolfo de la Garza, the research director for the non-profit Tomas Rivera Policy Institute and a professor of political science at Columbia University.

At one time, the League of United Latin American Citizens or LULAC, a longtime Latino civil rights group, required that all members be citizens, de la Garza said.

But even he was taken aback to learn a Latina--Rosana Pulido--was in charge of the Illinois Minuteman Project, a controversial national anti-immigration group.

He compared it to an African-American leading the Ku Klux Klan.

"To be a Mexican Minuteman, to be that extreme, is really hard to fathom," de la Garza said.

But Pulido, 50, of Chicago doesn't see a contradiction in her work with the Minutemen.

"I've said the Pledge of Allegiance one time too many ... and now I believe it with my whole heart," she said, wearing her tall trademark Uncle Sam hat. "My allegiance is to this land, not to being Mexican, not to being Latina."

Pulido, whose grandparents came from Mexico, grew up with a patriotic father who discouraged speaking Spanish at home.

And when someone said, "Viva Mexico," he would tell them, "Go back."

"If you love it so much, why aren't you there?" he would say, according to Pulido, who is not sure whether her grandparents came to the U.S. legally.

At rallies and marches, Pulido stands out in a sea of mostly Anglofaces.

The group recently held a rally in Batavia where supporters were asked to bring brooms and toilet brushes to signify there are Americans who want the menial jobs that some say only immigrants are willing to do.

Pulido is unusually bold about her beliefs, unlike many other Latinos who share her views on immigration. A prominent restaurant owner spoke of his fear if people knew his true feelings. He was already threatened with being boycotted by Latinos because he remained open on May Day, the day of the largest national immigration march.